Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Tuesdays, March 14 - June 6 | 10:00 - noon | Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup is a free, weekly activity for families to gather, learn, and play in nature. Guided by the idea that children need to spend ample time outdoors, we offer a community experience in the world of nature and will model ways the natural environment can be used as a tool for learning and play.

The Great Texas Birding Adventure

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

The Lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas is home to a breathtaking diversity of birds, with the breeding ranges of many just barely extending their range into the United States. From Aplomado Falcon and Buff-bellied Hummingbird to Vermillion Flycatcher and Green Jay, we’ll see resident species as well as plentiful spring migrants.

$2850

Amphibians of Vernal Pools – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This course is an introduction to vernal pools, with a particular focus on identification and natural history of the frogs and salamanders that breed in them.

$285

April Break Camp 2023 (K-3rd grade)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Spring is a great time to explore the Nature Center. Children ages 5-8 are invited to join us for a week of spring nature adventures and explorations. We’ll make art using natural materials, explore the fields and forest for signs of wildlife, try our hands at wild edible cooking and give back to the land in celebration of spring.

$65

Ethical Foraging Workshop

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

In this workshop we'll employ a framework that encompasses not just a plant's identity, but its life history, conservation status, location, and culinary uses to determine which plants we'll harvest, which we'll transplant, which we'll garden, which we'll remove, and which we'll leave.

$45

Spring Birding at North Branch Nature Center

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Cape May Spring Migration- Northeast Birdwatcher’s Paradise

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Birding in Cape May and southern New Jersey during spring migration is legendary! With over 430 total species observed, and over 330 species seen this time of year, Cape May is home to some of the greatest avian biodiversity in the northeast. May in southern New Jersey offers an abundance of everything: migratory warblers in the shrubs and forests, birds of prey cruising overhead, and shorebirds along the beaches and backwaters.

$1675

Spring Birding at Catamount Outdoor Family Center

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Art Gallery Reception – Hilary Ann Love Glass

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Please join us at North Branch Nature Center for an evening celebrating Hilary Ann Love Glass's artwork. Tour the gallery, meet the artist, and enjoy some refreshments.

Natural History of the North Woods with Jonathan Shapiro

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

We live at the meeting point of two forest biomes: the boreal forest stretches north to the tundra, and the temperate deciduous forest extends south to the gulf of Mexico. Where these two great forests overlap is called the North Woods, a unique and diverse area with its own distinct and fascinating character. This overlap zone has a strong influence on the tree, bird, and mammal species here in Central Vermont. By applying the North Woods lens to our landscape, we can better understand patterns of plant distribution and animal behavior.

Spring Birding at Berlin Pond (South Side)

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Birding at the Barre City Cow Pasture

A casual, morning birding outing at a local hidden-gem natural area, facilitated by NBNC staff. For all interests and experience levels. This outing is about enjoying, learning from, and spending time with wild birds.

Woody Plants – Biodiversity University & Northern Forest Atlas

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Woody plants—trees, shrubs, vines, creepers—are, to us, the key to understanding habitats, ecological patterns, and plant geography. This is an introductory course covering about 40 common species: how they grow, leaf, flower, and fruit; how to distinguish them and their habitats in the field; and how to use the Northern Forest Atlas photoguide and digital Atlas to confirm them.

$285

Spring Birding at Sodom Pond

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Glacial Geology of the Champlain Valley – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This class visits multiple field sites to explore key aspects of Vermont’s glacial geologic history. In particular, we will observe a variety of landforms and sediments in the Burlington and Richmond area, focusing on the different geologic processes that yielded these formations. 

$285

Botany Boot Camp – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This class visits multiple field sites to explore key aspects of Vermont’s glacial geologic history. In particular, we will observe a variety of landforms and sediments in the Burlington and Richmond area, focusing on the different geologic processes that yielded these formations. 

$285

Spring Birding at North Branch Nature Center

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Travelers Circle Storytelling & Potluck

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join us for a casual evening of stories and a shared community meal. We encourage everyone to contribute a short story of their travels (though there is no pressure to speak), and "travel" may entail a trip to the store or a trip across the world! The experience is a bit like jamming on musical instruments: what you hear inspires what you share. The evening will start with a potluck at 5:30, and storytelling will begin around 6. Please bring your own dishes and silverware.

Plant Geography of a Granite Hill – A Northern Forest Atlas Day Course

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Drew Mountain is the Granite Hills of Groton State Park, which are an igneous pluton intruded into the Devonian Waits-River sediments. The granite is hard and acid, the Waits softer and limy. The plants are an unusual combination, reflecting both influences. We will focus on the woody plants as a key to understanding the habitat, and add some interesting grasses, sedges, and herbs as details. A Northern Forest Atlas course hosted by NBNC's Biodiversity University.

$110

Reading the Landscape – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Reading the Landscape & Telling the Story is designed to acquaint you with Vermont landscapes in the Champlain Valley and to provide you with an integrative framework for reading the land here and around the world. This framework explores an understanding of the pieces, patterns, and processes that shape the natural world.

$285

Summer Tree Identification with Jonathan Shapiro

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Learning to identify trees can be a powerful way to connect to your local landscape. They are big, charismatic, and always around us, and knowing who they are provides a baseline of ecological understanding for the rest of our surroundings. Join Jonathan Shapiro of Fox Paw School for a dive into tree ID, focusing on a pattern-based approach that we are hardwired to understand. We'll talk about tree silhouettes, branching patterns, leaf shapes, bark, and more, and you'll leave with the observational skills to learn not only trees, but the rest of your landscape as well. By meeting in three different seasons, we'll have the opportunity to see how trees' lives change throughout the cycle of the year, and how they fit into the broader ecological context of our North Woods home.

$50

Botanical Illustration – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This class will focus on botanical illustrations at all scales, from the whole plant down to its smallest parts. At times we’ll practice with magnification, measurements, maps, and diagrams to expand our techniques. We’ll work primarily with graphite pencils and technical pens, and move into watercolor and colored pencils on our final day together.

$385

Vermont Master Naturalist for Educators

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This course for middle and high school educators is a unique collaboration between North Branch Nature Center and Vermont Master Naturalist. It is a place-based, integrated training in interpreting the local landscape and applying that training to 5th-12th grade classrooms and curricula. Each day immerses in a different ecosystem, exploring the pieces, patterns, and processes driving local ecology. We’ll practice field-based activities and classroom-based extensions aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and Proficiency-Based Learning frameworks.

$1300

Slow Birding – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Sounds a bit strange, “slow birding.” Watching birds isn’t really fast in the first place and the pace of a birder in the field is already slow and methodical. But, it is possible to change how we approach traditional birding and what we get out of it. Slow Birding is a practice that builds a deeper observation of birds while at the same time creating a deeper connection to yourself and the place you live.

$285

ECO Institute: Nature-Based Routines for Outdoor Classrooms

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

For elementary and middle school educators. The purpose of this ECO introductory course for elementary and middle school educators is to apply integrated academic curricula beyond the classroom, while immersing in and participating with nature as a learning partner. The course provides inquiry-based learning through intensive experiential lessons, activities, and discussions held entirely outdoors.

$1300

Mosses and the Dry-rich Community – A Northern Forest Atlas Day Course

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Quarry Hill is a dry low-elevation marble hill with an exceptionally diverse flora. Marble hills rare in the Northern Forest Region. Some of the best are in western New England. This one, which has been famous botanically since the early 1900s, is one of the best of the best. We will focus on limestone mosses and also look at some distinctive woody plants, herbs, and indicators. A Northern Forest Atlas day course hosted by NBNC's Biodiversity University.

$110

ECO Institute: Natural History Fundamentals for Educators

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

For elementary and middle school educators. This goal of this course is to deepen our understanding of the natural landscape and learn how to utilize this knowledge to build a partnership with the land that meets the needs of all students. Participants will develop a foundation of natural history knowledge through immersive study of bird language, tree and plant identification, wild edible safety, geology, and stream ecology. We will practice techniques for achieving a deeper level of inquiry and observation in nature while learning hands-on methods for embedding this knowledge into outdoor lessons and making classroom connections. The routines that we build throughout the week are designed to deepen your class’s sense of place within the outdoor learning environment.

$1300

Old Forest Ecology – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

The course will provide an introduction to old forests, including their forms, functions, and inhabitants. Each day will explore an old forest field site in Northern Vermont, combined with time back at NBNC to share slides and discuss concepts in a classroom setting.

$285

ECO Institute: Nature-Based Routines for Outdoor Classrooms

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

For preschool and kindergarten educators. This course applies early childhood learning curricula beyond the classroom, while immersing in and participating with nature as a learning partner. The course provides inquiry-based learning through intensive experiential lessons, provocations and discussions held entirely outdoors.

$1300

The Shores of the Winooski – A Northern Forest Atlas Day Course

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

A one-day course in low-water and floodplain grasses, sedges, and woodies along the lower Winooski River. Vermont has about forty species of late-blooming sedges (mostly), rushes (a few) and grasses (even fewer) that are best sought on river and lake shores in late summer and fall. They are a distinctive and fascinating flora; the lower Winooski is one of the best places to find them and learn them. A Northern Forest Atlas day course hosted by NBNC's Biodiversity University.

$110

Mushroom ID and Ecology – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

In this course, participants will explore the diversity and ecological importance of the kingdom of fungi. Over this two-day course, participants will learn the fundamentals of mushroom identification through a combination of classroom and field experience. Topics include fungi ecology, taxonomy, field identification, morphology, edibility, toxicity, fungi as medicine, bioremediation, utilitarian function, as well as ‘best’ harvesting practices.

$285

Shorebirds, Seabirds, and Songbirds on Cape Cod

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

After the summer beach crowds clear out, Cape Cod is certainly for the birds. Shorebirds, seabird, raptors and songbirds are plentiful on the Cape, and migration is in full swing. his trip is about watching, enjoying, and studying seabirds and shorebirds among a community of like-minded nature lovers under the leadership of a first-class guide and educator.

$1250

Fall Tree Identification with Jonathan Shapiro

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Learning to identify trees can be a powerful way to connect to your local landscape. They are big, charismatic, and always around us, and knowing who they are provides a baseline of ecological understanding for the rest of our surroundings. Join Jonathan Shapiro of Fox Paw School for a dive into tree ID, focusing on a pattern-based approach that we are hardwired to understand. We'll talk about tree silhouettes, branching patterns, leaf shapes, bark, and more, and you'll leave with the observational skills to learn not only trees, but the rest of your landscape as well. By meeting in three different seasons, we'll have the opportunity to see how trees' lives change throughout the cycle of the year, and how they fit into the broader ecological context of our North Woods home.

$50

Cape May & Delmarva Birding with Chip Darmstadt

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Explore this extraordinary birdwatching paradise during one of its most exciting times to visit. With over 430 total species observed, and over 330 species seen this time of year, Southern New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula are home to some of the greatest avian biodiversity in the northeast.

$2250